Decision making to much a liability to consider him a top flight player. His basketball IQ subtracts from his talents, making him a average guard. Show me a ring, and then I will believe his playground ballhogging works. Until then, rejoice with his stats, becuase thats all this team will have to show for at the end of the year (barring of course a TRUE leader stepping forward and leading this team)
If his decision making and basketball IQ were that bad, it would be reflected in his shooting percentage, points per shot, turnovers, and other factors. As of now, it's roughly on par with other star shooting guards in his class. (Finley, Houston, Szczberbiak) The only high scoring options in the entire league right now with rings are Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. Is the rest of the league trash?
Wrong, it reflects in what matters most.... wins. If Cuttino is this top flight guard, why isnt he carry this team on his back to at least a 8 spot in the playoffs? If Cats the leader, the stat producing maniac you claim him to be, what record was he responsible for last season? Wasn't it the 5th worst? If Cats our Jordan, why is he hanging out during post season not on a court producing top guard stats? Something sounds wrong right? Bluntly put, Cats a stupid guard with talent, but not well rounded enough to lead, nor get others involved. His only strenght is the ISO's , ironicly enough proves his basketball smarts simply isnt good enough to get others involved.... which leads to dumb plays/bad shots. Sorry bud, your not selling everyone on Cat being this top guard, just as we arent going to remove your Cat wallpaper from your bedroom. I admire you defending your fav player, and I dont consider myself a Cat hater, just I have recognized his limitations on the court and have rated them accordingly. Hopefully this season the extra help, there will be less information on the court for Cat to dissect.
Jugded by your screenname, I'd say you're a Cat hater. How can you want to trade the guy and not hate him in the same sentence? What are his limitations that keep him from being one of the top guards in the league? The Mercer comparisons are already invalid, as I remarked earlier in my post. Cat belongs in the class with Finley, Houston, etc that The Cat compared him to. The common thread among all of those shooting guards? They have a flaw or two in their game that keeps them from being an elite player. The difference between the analyses of Cuttino here? Some people just overanalyze his weaknesses and rate them inappropriately.
i wanted the rockets to trade olajuwon to the raptors but i didn't hate him. i could have my sn be tradefrancis but do i hate him? no. maybe tradecuttino just want cuttino to be traded b/c he don't think cuttino fits in our team well or what not. assumptions can lead to foolish beliefs. i'll agree w/ the cat: cuttino's a player that's on par of a player like wally sczerbiak and, on some given nights, michael finley. people say cat's overrated but you have to remember that this guy is making 5 mil a year and was only a 2nd round pick. for him to be able to go from a 2nd rounder into a starting SG avg. 20+ points a game is a feat in itself. i'm pretty sure if mobley was shooting at around a 45%-46% clip none of us would be on cat. it's just down to his: *shot selection *passing *sometimes, his D if all those were improved, we'd have nothing to argue about. but i think those points will all improve with the players he has around him next season. all in all, cat is a good SG that could improve on some aspects of his game. we sometimes forget that he's not a kobe bryant or a vince carter or a tracy mcgrady so why bash him on not being one of those guys. i get fed up when he goes on a shoot barrage and misses shots, but when you look at it this way: mobley gets about 5 mil a year mercer gets about 6.6 mil a year finley gets about 11 mil a year basically, we're getting more for the buck and we should be happy about that. we're getting comparable stats to players who get paid more.
Name some guards that did carry their team into the playoffs besides Kidd and Payton. Here are some that didn't Vince Carter Ray Allen can't do it even with Cassell, Robinson, and Mason Houston couldn't do it Miller barely made it but he didn't carry the team Marbury Payton got there but barely and he's definitely better that Cat. Eddie Jones Andre Miller I'm not saying Cat is a top 5 shooting guard.What I'm saying is your argument is lame.
Considering how tradecuttino is going on about trading Cuttino and mentioning his weaknesses, I'd think he would be a Cuttino hater. After all, all the Rockets could get for him is Ron Mercer based on his line of thinking, something that is not true. Mobley's game and shot selection continue to improve and should only improve further with the additions of Ming and Nachbar - plus a healthy Francis. He doesn't need to pass because that's not his role. He is improving in that aspect of his game, yes, but the Rockets don't need him to average 5apg; they need him to score. And, as has already been outlined, his D is more than adequate. It could be better, yes, but it's not subpar. The biggest point of contention is that people compare him to Ron Mercer when his stats, play, and game suggest he's in a higher class of player. Exaggeration is the key word, I think.
Thanks steddinotayto, you saved me some time. I could have tried as screennames 1. StevesDefenseSucks 2. PotSmokingWalt 3. UnderratedKenny 4. MoT_BlowKnee 5. HoustonTerrapins 6. DribblingFro But TradeCuttino is the statement I yell the most after his nitwit plays. Now, I have never engineered a trade scernio on the boards, simply becuase I feel he has value at a 6th man. But for a starting 2 guard, im definetly all for bringing in some competition. His limitations are as follows: 1. Cat is either stupid or selfish. The latter can be corrected more quickly with RT applying some disciple. If im correct and his basketball smarts are just not there, then he needs to work harder in the film room. 2. When your not playing playground basketball, there are designed plays. Mobley simply does not seem to display enough on court awareness to spot his teammates OR he does and simply chooses not to get them involved. If you noticed teams that get into the playoffs, the alleged STAR players have this "talent." Cat doesnt. I won't pick on his defense simply becuase he is undersized AND the whole team is also giving a half azz effort also on D. So I will pound this into the ground, call a player elite when he can do the following: 1. Take charge and carry a team on his back to a victory when needed. 2. Lead his team to the playoffs on a consistant basis 3. Win Titles Preach stats all you want, the true stat, the only one that matters is what the Lakers have.
not really. i HOPE he can get his shooting % up but for the past 4 years, he's been hovering around that 43% clip. granted i don't expect him to be a sharpshooter, but if he cuts down on boneheaded shots, the % will go up to 45-46% by itself. He doesn't need to pass because that's not his role. He is improving in that aspect of his game, yes, but the Rockets don't need him to average 5apg; they need him to score. And, as has already been outlined, his D is more than adequate. It could be better, yes, but it's not subpar. i think he DOES need to pass--especially when the illadvised shots and double teams comes his way. in those kinds of situations, he sometimes forget that there's 4 other guys on the court with him. and who's to say that a scorer can't average 5 assists per game? and as for improving on his passing, well his assists have stayed at 2.5 eversince he was a rookie while his minutes went up. seriously, scorers DO need to learn to pass and how to pass. if kobe can find room to avg. 5.5 assists a game, i'm pretty sure mobley can to next year. if all we want him to do is score, then all he'll ever be is a one dimensional player. i'm actually expecting and believing that mobley can be mention w/ the likes of bryant and mcgrady if he just works and tweaks some aspects of his game.
You think im taking up for those guys? I could go one buy one breaking down why they are not top flight players currently. Go to the boards of each of those fans sites, and see if they are swinging from the nuts of those guys? Dieharders maybe, but the realists are letting them have it. Why your listing GP and Miller, two veterans? Although neither won a ring, they at least took their teams into the playoffs, with Miller literally winning games himself. Maybe he is not the player of 5 years ago, but lets pray Cat can even sniff the playoffs consisently.
He doesn't need to pass because that's not his role. He is improving in that aspect of his game, yes, but the Rockets don't need him to average 5apg; they need him to score. And, as has already been outlined, his D is more than adequate. It could be better, yes, but it's not subpar. With that first line, our conversation is over. Anyone that stats a players responsiblity IS NOT TO PASS has immediately loss my attention. You take what the defense gives you. And when your doubled teamed... GUESSS WHAT? Someone else is wide open!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Passing doesn't seem to be anyone's role on this current team. So much so, that calls/trade rumors/wishes were made to bring in a SMALL FORWARD just so he could supply the passes. Remember Cat's own words about Odom?? It is also a big reason why Yao Ming's appearance on this team is so anticipated, he not only can pass but will pass. So if forwards and centers can pass, why the hell can't the guards???? Mobley is a hell of a player, I can't compare him to Finley or Iverson and neither do the all-star voters it seems, but he REALLY REALLY needs to work on his shot selection and involving his teammates NOT named Steve Francis. But his D is decent, not bad not great. It is Francis who needs to find a frikkin clue about D, the guy just doesn't seem to care - not even to put a hand up to contest shots. And for the excuse makers who allege that Francis and Mobley just don't have anyone to pass to, please ............ PLEASE watch the All-Star game last season. Francis was playing with all the talent in the world AND STILL DID NOT have a clue as to how to distribute the ball in an efficient and timely manner. More than migranes created that lost and dazed look in his eyes.
How right you are! And since Cats I.Q. should be reflected in the Rockets wins then you must also agree that it is fairly high. After all he was the 2 guard on a team that 45 and 37 in the very tough Western Conference on a team that was suppose to be rebuilding. He managed that many wins on a team that played with out Dream, Cato or Collier for much of the season due to injury and had to rely on 6'7" Kenny Thomas to go up against the likes of Shaq and in other games we had to rely on MoT at the 5. We even had to recall Pig Miller for some games as well as use pot smoking Thomas Hamilton in others. That Cat must have pretty damn high basketball I.Q. to get 45 wins in the toughest conference in the league with out any kind of front court to speak of. Speaking of Cat's high BB IQ it must really be high to have lead our Rockets into the play offs in his rookie year as an out of position point guard. If we base Cat's BB IQ on the amount of wins the Rockets have then I think you now agree that Cat has a pretty damn high BB IQ!
Not only that, but Mitch Richmond must have been pretty damn stupid until this year, when he hardly played at all.
These are some real contradictions. Mercer put up 18.37 shots per game that season to Mobley's 18.35. That's damn near identical. To dismiss it as simply "more shots" is certainly not telling the story. Also as shown by the increased assists, Mercer was responsible for more points per game than Mobley. You also use the fact that Mobley's teammates didn't come through for him last season as a crutch in your arguments, but use the same fact as a detriment to Mercer's cause (how in the world did he get more assists than Cuttino on such a terrible team?). You also discount Mercer as "not comparable" to Mobley because of a 0.11 difference in this PPS BS, but say Mobley is right on par with other star guards who have the same difference higher than Cuttino (see Wally Szczerbiak).
These are some real contradictions. Mercer put up 18.37 shots per game that season to Mobley's 18.35. That's damn near identical. To dismiss it as simply "more shots" is certainly not telling the story. Also as shown by the increased assists, Mercer was responsible for more points per game than Mobley. You also use the fact that Mobley's teammates didn't come through for him last season as a crutch in your arguments, but use the same fact as a detriment to Mercer's cause (how in the world did he get more assists than Cuttino on such a terrible team?). You also discount Mercer as "not comparable" to Mobley because of a 0.11 difference in this PPS BS, but say Mobley is right on par with other star guards who have the same difference higher than Cuttino (see Wally Szczerbiak). If PPS is such BS, can you please explain to me why? It takes into consideration bad shots, good shots, field goal percentage, and overall scoring to show efficiency. Does it show every stat in the world? No, but nothing can. It's a valid offensive statistic to gauge scoring efficiency. I thought you would understand that Szczberbiak's numbers were inflated since he was less of a creator and more of a spot up shooter, thus gaining easier shots. But, these other star guards that I mentioned (Finley, Houston) are either behind Mobley in PPS or ahead by 0.02. Also, I don't have the stats in front of me, but I'm willing to bet the Bulls shooting percentage that year was well ahead of the Rockets of 01-02... we were a terrible shooting team from the field last year. Unless that 0.8 edge in assists per game all led to three's, Mercer was not responsible for more points than Mobley. I will quote this again... here is a Magic fan's analysis of the two players. If the only reason we couldn't see Cuttino as a negative is that we're homers, Cato=Bum, is the rest of the league missing it too? Preach stats all you want, the true stat, the only one that matters is what the Lakers have. TradeCuttino, So the only star players in the entire league are Jordan, Duncan, Shaq, and Kobe right?
